Top Court Cancels Order Restraining Cognizant From Using Disputed Logo

The Supreme Court on Monday set aside a Bombay High Court Division Bench order that had restrained Cognizant Technology Solutions from using its logo in India.

A bench led by Justices Dipankar Datta and R Mahadevan restored the earlier order of a single judge of the Bombay High Court, which had refused to continue the injunction against Cognizant. 

The Supreme Court also directed the single judge to dispose of the injunction application within six months.

The case stems from a dispute between Bengaluru-based Atyati Technologies Private Limited and Cognizant over claims of copyright and trademark infringement relating to the "ATYATI" device mark. In March 2024, Atyati obtained a one-sided injunction stopping Cognizant from using the disputed logo. That order was later vacated in June 2024, before being reinstated by a Division Bench of the Bombay High Court recently.

With the Supreme Court's latest ruling, Cognizant is free to continue using its logo in India until the Bombay High Court decides the injunction application.

A Cognizant spokesperson, in a statement, said, "Cognizant filed a Special Leave Petition (SLP) against the Division Bench's order before the Hon'ble Supreme Court. The Supreme Court, after hearing the parties, set aside the Division Bench's order, which had previously restricted Cognizant from using the logo."

"The Supreme Court restored the earlier order of the Bombay High Court refusing to continue the injunction against Cognizant. The Supreme Court also directed the expeditious disposal of the injunction application by the Single Judges Bench, Bombay High Court, within six months," the spokesperson added. 

The Bombay High Court's earlier order that stopped Cognizant from using the disputed logo was a big win for the smaller Indian firm, Atyati, in its battle to safeguard its identity against one of the world's largest IT services companies.